Kick volume level in Digitone I

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
1

Hi elektronauts,

I would like to ask you a simple question regarding the elektron boxes.

I do live performance using Digitone-Digitakt-Syntakt, and my main style is Tekno, which implies a hard and remarkable kick that should lead the main flow of the set (I would say that a well-shaped and clean kick is the key in that style, together with a matching bass).

Then, it comes to my issue: When I am practising at home with studio speakers, Kick levels sound fine to me. Obviously, in the avenue (clubs) or when playing in a big Soundsystem I have the feeling that the kick kills the magic of the rest of the melodies, which are not even competing, are just under the kick layer. Then, my perception is that all my tracks sound the same, even though I am changing the kick or the bass. It bothers me, since it sounds more like hard techno, which is a really nice style, but it is out of my scope.

Recently I have been working more in sound synthesis using the DN-1, but the same thing is applicable to the rest of elektron boxes. So there comes my question:

Which approximate volume value would you recommend for the kick or kick drum? I have set it to 80-110, depending on the waveform of the kick (let’s say 90-100 value as average). But I don’t know how it might be extrapolated to dB values. I would like to have them at least at -6 dB, but there is no way (at least I did not figure it out) to check it in the main mix levels, also, I did not find a master volume to check it (apart from the pattern level).

I leave the Master Volume at 2 pm always, maybe 3 pm sometimes.

In addition, if I reduce the kick levels, I probably should do the same for the rest of the tracks, but I would need to considerably increase the master volume levels, which I find unviable.

I would appreciate any comments or improvements to that topic.

Many thanks in advance!!!

Take care,

Fuer

2

Heya.

Just a guess. Maybe the reason for this is not just the level of the kick, but (also) the lower frequencies of the kick drum burying the other tracks while playing on a big sound system?

Maybe if you had a chance to rehearse or do a soundcheck before the gig started you could check if it improves when you cut off. Start your way from 20 to 80 to 120 Hz until it sounds right maybe?

Also, can you elaborate on the signal flow of your setup? Does your audio go DT>DN>ST or do the machines go into a mixer? Maybe others could pick it up from there and give some better advice than mine.

1 Like
3

I struggle with getting the kick right on my OG Digitone. In my experience, setting the drum track to a nominal level…results in the drums being covered by the other tracks, somewhat. However, once I work on the other tracks, perform filtering, tweaking sounds, enveloped, etc., the drums start to become more clarified within the mix. And that is without further adjustment to the drum track. In some cases, I’ve even been able to turn down the drum track later on.

Regarding the kick, one way I’ve found to make it more prominent, without having to turn up the volume, is to time-shift other musical elements to the right (later). This can be done by extending the attack phase of other sounds.

The basic principle here is that overlapping sounds whose loudest point in the envelope share the same point in time…interfere with one another. For example, piano playing where the student strikes all the notes at the same time, dumping too much acoustical energy on the soundboard all at once, creating a harsh, percussive effect and obscuring the separate notes.

It’s a general rule of musical sound that the attack phase contains non-harmonic noise. So shifting percussive sounds to the left, relative to harmonic sounds…may be an approach to making them more prominent in the mix.

Sometimes I adjust the micro timing on a snare to the left (earlier) while at the same time extending its attack phase. This makes the snare more prominent without turning up the level.

Sorry to not exactly answer your question. What I’m proposing is that volume adjustment may not be the answer.

4

Yep try this !